Page 2 of Morning Walks & Midnight Talks

“I’m Cato,” I replied. “And this is Pounce.”

“Oh my god. What a perfect name for a dog!”

“He demanded it,” I deadpanned. “I wanted something serious and noble. But the minute he moved in, he tried to make love to, well,everythingin my house. I could only take that as his way of trying to communicate with me. Funnily enough, he stopped as soon as he got that name.”

The guy laughed—bright and real. And I found myself smiling a little too long before glancing down to break the gaze.

Sora dropped into a dramatic play bow. Pounce responded with a slow, amused tail wag. They weren’t wrestling yet, but the potential was clearly there.

“We should probably keep moving before they get tangled up,” I said, even though I would have liked to stay longer.

“Right.” The man straightened, brushing a leaf off his jacket. “Maybe she’ll figure out how to walk on a leash by tomorrow so they can play without tying themselves into knots.”

“We’re here every day. So, it’s a date,” I replied, surprised by my boldness. “Same time. Same bench. Otherwise, Pounce will cry all day.”

“We don’t want that.” He smiled again and tucked his left hand into his jacket pocket. “I’m Matt, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Matt,” I replied, my voice softening. We stared at each other uncomfortably for another second before nodding in opposite directions. I gave Pounce’s leash a gentle tug, signaling that playtime was over for now. “See you tomorrow then.”

“We will,” he called after me, dragging Sora along as she resisted, still eager to stay with her new friend.

A few feet away, I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder. Matt was doing the same. Our eyes met for half a second—just long enough to feel a spark.

I didn’t expectto see Matt again the next day. At least, that’s what I told myself.

Taking the same route as always? That had nothing to do with him. It was just routine, like brushing my teeth and putting on fresh underwear. I certainly didn’t skip ten minutes of doomscrolling to be a little early. Not on purpose, that is. Not to bump into anyone. Just... to enjoy my coffee and the crisp fall air a little longer.

Yet, the closer we got to the bench under the maple tree, the faster my heart beat.

And sure enough, there he was, wearing the same windbreaker, this time zipped halfway up against the morning chill, while Sora chewed on a stick at least three times her size.

Eager to close the distance between us, I tugged Pounce forward. But he didn’t need convincing. He’d already locked onto Sora.

“Hey,” Matt called out, acknowledging our presence with a brief wave of his right hand. Meanwhile, Sora tossed the stick aside and lunged toward Pounce, her stubby tail wagging like her life depended on it. “I was hoping you’d show up. She’s been looking for her boyfriend all morning.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Look, I don’t label her, but she’s definitely into older men.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. “Pounce will take that as a compliment. He likes someone who can keep up with his energy.”

The dogs resumed their sniff-spiral, picking up where they left off yesterday.

“You weren’t kidding about being here every day,” Matt said, glancing around the park and then at my coffee. “You’ve got a whole routine, don’t you?”

“If it’s one thing I’m good at, it’s coming up with a sequence of regularly followed actions,” I said, realizing too late that the pun would make no sense to anyone who didn’t know meandthat it sounded a bit sad.

Matt didn’t flinch. “Honestly? I kind of envy that. I haven’t had a proper routine in months. But Sora’s eager to help me establish one.”

As if on cue, Sora nudged toward Pounce, wound around him and me, and looped back to Matt. Before I could even think to step away, their leashes twisted tight, trapping all four of us in a hopeless tangle.

Matt let out a helpless laugh and braced himself to keep from falling over. “Come on, not again.” He grabbed Sora and lifted her up, so she couldn’t make things worse. “Maybe it would be safer if we walked together instead of standing around,” he said. “At least until she figures out how that leash thing works.”

“You don’t enjoy getting hog-tied?” I joked and let go of Pounce’s leash, trusting that he wouldn’t run away.

“Not in the middle of the park, at least,” Matt replied. His voice was light, but there was something unintentionally candid underneath it.

I climbed out of Sora’s leash web, accidentally bumping against Matt’s butt with my right hand. Heat shot to my head, but there was hardly any time to acknowledge it. “Sorry about that,” I mumbled.

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